Freddy Fender (born Baldemar Garza Huerta; June 4, 1937 – October 14, 2006)[1] was an American Tejano singer, known for his work as a solo artist and in the groups Los Super Seven and the Texas Tornados.

Active since the 1950s, when he got his start playing Spanish-language rock and roll for Tejano audiences, Fender's mainstream breakthrough came in 1975 with the crossover hit "Before the Next Teardrop Falls," which topped Billboard's pop and country charts.

Fender was born in San Benito, Texas, United States,[2] to Margarita Garza and her Mexican husband, Serapio Huerta.

"[2] His self-penned song was a hit, but he was beset by legal troubles in May 1960 after he and a band member were arrested for possession of marijuana in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

[2] After serving nearly three years in the Louisiana State Penitentiary, he was released through the intervention of then-governor Jimmie Davis, also a songwriter and musician.

However, in a 1990 NPR interview on Fresh Air with Terry Gross (rebroadcast October 17, 2006),[5] Fender said that the condition for parole was to stay away from places that served alcohol.

By the end of the 1960s, Fender was back in Corpus Christi, Texas, working as a mechanic and attending local institution, Del Mar College,[2] while playing music only on the weekends.

[2] Between 1975 and 1983, Fender charted 21 country hits, including "Since I Met You Baby," "Vaya con Dios," "Livin' It Down," and "The Rains Came."

"[8] In 1989, Fender teamed up with fellow Tex–Mex musicians Doug Sahm, Flaco Jiménez, and Augie Meyers to form the Texas Tornados, whose work meshed conjunto, Tejano, R&B, country, and blues to wide acclaim.

When the Texas Tornados went to audition for Warner Bros. Records, Fender did not think that the group was strong enough, so he brought his own band.

"[9] The group released four albums and won a Grammy Award in 1990 for Best Mexican American Performance for the track "Soy de San Luis".

[10] In 2001, Fender made his final studio recording, a collection of classic Mexican boleros titled La Música de Baldemar Huerta that brought him a third Grammy award, this time in the category of Latin Pop Album.

[citation needed] In 1988, Fender played the mayor of a small town in the Robert Redford–directed film, The Milagro Beanfield War.

[2] He appeared as Tony in the prison movie, Short Eyes, a 1977 film adaptation, directed by Robert M. Young, of the Miguel Pinero play.